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Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Now I love a good yarn as much as the rest of them but is it me or has Fox Sports FC just reduced itself to talk and more talk.......wake up!

You'd hardly know the show was about football from the visual hour.

Hardly a piece of football action in the show last night, especially in the first 45 mins. A good interview with Rhys Williams - and interesting interviews from Kossie and the Chair of Adelaide United.

But where is the football?

A talkfest - or a bore fest?

Really if we do need to hear Harps and Bozzo's opinions on Adelaide United - at least put it with some season footage so we don't have to listen so intently to the "analysis." But surely the key men - the Chair and Kossie covered anything the presenters could tell us. We're not thick we heard what they said and can make our own judgement.

And when time is short - as Andy Maher always tells us it is - we simply repeat, get guests to repeat what Harps and Bozza asks.

"Heard anything more on the Tevez move to Milan," Bozza/Harps asks. To which ex-star London based footballer says...no but it looks like he'll move to Milan in January.

Hasn't the guys from Fox heard of the internet - we're all over it!

We want more football video, more football analysis through video, and if we're having good interviews, and we are, lets cut the Harps and Bozza drivel - time is too short.

And get Mel to host the show - she's at the games, she's got the knowledge and she's a great host. Do it!

Andy is fine but he doesn't add anything in terms of footy nous, footy credibility. He doesn't feel like "he is football."

Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Two bits of A-League off field brilliance to make you weep this festive sesason.

Marcos Flores is brilliant - and still United couldn't win the league - well lets sign the Coach up for four years and let Flores go.....

Loving the A-League business minds working hard around the country prior to the season and now the chooks have come to roost.

Perth Glory - remember the review, get yer man Fergie in and another dodgy Brazilian import, pour money into a couple of overseas washed-up Irishmen and of course watch the ageing Aussies and Kiwi's sign up for another round of easy money.

Tony Sage has spent heaps and got nothing to show for it - other than the injured Scott Neville what are, who are Perth Glory?

Is Jamie Coyne less Perth than Andrezinho, is Billy Celeski less Perth than Steven McGarry, is Tando Velaphi less Perth than Danny Vukovic, Danny McBreen less than Billy Mehmet, Nikolai Topor-Stanley less Perth than Bas Van Den Brink and so on and on it goes.

Tony gets angry - but Tony get some advice and do your dough properly and build a real club before, some stability build around it before it's too late.

Friday, 16 December 2011

Brisbane Roar have lost Thomas Broich, Henrique, Matt Smith and other key players in recent weeks and as a result despite continuing to boss possession, key goals have been conceded and a lack of attacking penetration has seem the team suffer three defeats in a row.

Imagine Barcelona not being able to replace David Villa, Manchester United Darren Fletcher etc etc. The top clubs have a heap of (spare)players - think of Man City's bench, Nazri for $20 million rarely starts - even their bench in Argentina! (Tevez)

The Salary Cap is good for the A-League, no doubt about that.

Whilst the Mariners are perhaps the best match for the Roar and that makes this weekends game fascinating - the Roar despite their possession style have shown glaring weaknesses can be exposed.

And the recent record breakers do have glaring weaknesses, do they not?

The now famous high line can easily be broken - can your team finish?

Defend, narrowly, in huge numbers - the Roar will struggle to breakthrough and rarely vary their attack.

Speed of ball - once the Roar slow the ball the threat is gone. Teams can easily monitor this during a game.

The Roar can be beaten - can Ange come up with solutions with or without his star men?

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

The FFA and Adelaide United held their breadth at the Asian Casino last night...and won.

United have won direct entry into the Asian Champions League - meaning Australia now has three teams in the group stages for the first time.

More exciting than watching Lou Sticca's fundraiser in Melbourne? You bet.

United were in with 4 other teams fighting for the last two spots - with the losers going to the very expensive, little revenue, lesser Asia Cup. Fortunately two Asian countries blinked - calculating they couldn't afford to gamble in the play-offs and lose and dropped out.

And then there were 3.

United were given direct access with the two remaining sides to play-off for the last spot.

How good is that!

Now Rini Coolen if you can just get the club on track and playing..well like the Reds can....you now have even more incentive to build the club. Wonder if you will still be there come next week never mind next year.

Pity we couldn't have had a play-off in Australia for that last Asian place - would have been awesome.

Big Boo to Promoter Lou Sticca. Imagine taking a team to play Celtic, Man United or Liverpool and saying your home supporter end, The Jungle, the Stretford End or The Kop are not allowed to sit in their usual places. Call yourself a football fan Lou - think not.

As for the game - good to see Melbourne taking it seriously - the Galaxy looked like Lou had told them - to attack, only defend with three and in the first half do not tackle any Victory players in your own box. It worked. Victory looked a little better than they usually have this season.

As for Galaxy they lifted their tempo and tactics in the second half - they ran back!

Never much interested in friendlies of any team at any level.

But was interested to see 35,000 fans at the game in Melbourne and noticeably fewer Victory shirts etc in a very very quiet crowd.

Monday, 5 December 2011

Great weekend for the believers in young Australian football players, attacking players.

Bernie Ibini, Mustafa Amini, Demi Petratos, Mate Dugandzic just some of the young Aussies hitting the net - and three of them are Under 20.

Laugh: Robbie Slater in his column on Sunday discussed how to beat the Roar - and he mentioned how Sydney would miss THE PACE of Mark Bridge.

Well to all football fans Mark Bridge has many things but pace he ain't.

Think pace think Petratos - he's now scored as many goals this season as Bridge!

And one for Jan Versliejan - playing Petratos in the midfield in the Youth World Cup was a huge mistake - his short passing game is erratic, he has pace, many skills (sometimes) and an eye for a goal. Maybe Vitaslav Lavicka learned a thing or two about his forward line yesterday.

Sydney got lucky - an early goal, a dodgy corner and unlike the previous time they played Brisbane they took their chances and for once Liam Reddy didn't do anything too stupid. Remember the first game?

As for Brisbane - well had to laugh at Fox Sports Commentators saying Sydney were fantastic in the first half.

70% possession to the Roar suggested something else.

And in Adelaide wasn't it great to see young Aussies getting a goal each. Amini has made the headlines but there is a lot to like about Bernie Ibini-Isei and he's the perfect foil for Matt Simon - more skill, more nous and more pace. Working well.

And if Sydney can beat the Roar - well how much for the Mariners chances?

Sydney with Terry Antonis to refire, Mark Bridge to return will continue to do well - especially away from home. And if their keeper can keep clean sheets they will improve. A big if!

The Mariners on the other hand - how far can they go?

The Roar might have the record but the Mariners are going to challenge them pretty hard I reckon.

A 36 game run and only three points ahead - not unasailable is it?
And in Josh Rose and Pedj Bojic we have a carbon copy of Ivan Franjic and Shane Stefanutto.

Compare the other full backs around the league - Jamie Coyne, Scott Jamieson, Fabio, the guys in Adelaide, you get my drift. Which teams have the best defensive and attacking full-backs. Which teams are 1 and 2!

Saturday, 3 December 2011

Mike Cockerill got his FFA Award this week, and fair play to him. You do the time, 30 years - you get an award.

I'm no fan of Mike's football analysis, he knows that - his tactical and player movements on and around the park leave a lot to be desired for this football fan. I grew up in the UK!

His newspaper work is different - he rarely analyses the football from a tactical perspective. But writes the stories of the day. Often over the years using his job to push dumb ideas - Richard Porta for one, Wollongong A-League beat-ups another, big crowd coming to the SFS yet another - and of course his particular own vitriole in the Harry Kewell saga down the years.

And now we have his comrade at Fairfax down in Melbourne doing the same. Lynchy a far better football writer in my view, is now hammering Kewell at every opportunity.

Pay back time for Bernie Mandic's refusal to allow Harry to talk to Mike and Mick down the years? Or does Lynch see the only way to get into the FFA Hall of Fame is to follow Mike Cockerill and slag Kewell!

Bizarre stuff - by my count the last four major Lynchy pieces have been having a go at Harry. Does he deserve that many questions over his personal coach, his contribution, his contract - and all in the space of a week or two - or since Bernie left.

How else to explain the loss of player wages, clubs and owners in the last 7 years?

In 7 years football has received and earned more money than ever, and yet the professional A-League clubs have spewed out more money, more owners and more clubs than we could ever have imagined.

Well I'm sick of seeing the FFA pour football money into failed clubs - and if clubs are losing $20/25 million per year - only an idiot and the PFA would say that we should keep increasing wages - or even maintain them.

Football in Australia at all levels has been pretty naive - nay thick - these last seven years. How much money have we thrown away?

It happens in the A-League, in your local league, It rips the game of any long term future; in Canberra it's even worse. No-one watches players in the ACT and yet they can get over $400 per game - but that's another pathetic story.

In the A-League - the focus here - we've seen the fantastic FFA/PFA and mad-cap owner schemes. Pay players way more than we can afford and hope what - the team wins, a few more get through the gate at your club, or owners simply continue to pour money in before they walk or are broke. Brilliant model isn't it.

And besides if wages go up and the revenue base doesn't it makes it even harder for any new clubs to enter. And shouldn't we be aiming at getting more clubs not less into our league in future?

Seems to me the whole football family needs a lesson in basic business - revenue = costs or thereabouts.